Fall-board for pianos and the like.



0,. HIGEL.

FALL BOARD FOR PIANOS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 1914.

1 1 37, 31 8. Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

' TED STATES PATEN OFFICE.

OTTO I-IIGEL, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO C. KURTZMANN & 00., OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FALL-BOARD FOR PIANOS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed July 28, 1914.

T 0 (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Orro HIGEL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Toronto, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fall-Boards for Pianos and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in fall-boards, and pertains more particularly to a type of horizontally sliding fall-boards such as may be adapted for use in automatic player pianos.

Heretofore it has been impractical to use this particular type of fall-board in connection with player pianos, because of the interference of the fall-board, when in its retracted position, with the player action.

The object of the present invention'is to provide a swinging fall-board adapted for use in upright player pianos that will swing rearwardly in a horizontal plane, a distinctive feature of the invention consisting in the provision of a special form of supporting hinge which will effect this result and will require a minimum amount of space in which to operate.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in the arrangement and operation of parts more fully set forth in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view taken through one end of the piano frame and the fall board, showing the latter in its advance position, the supporting hinge member appearing in elevation; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the fall-board in its retracted position; Fig. 3 is a perspective detail of one of the bearing plates; Fig. 4 is a detail of the main hinge plate detached, the view being an end elevation looking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, only such parts of the player piano are illustrated as will aid in understanding the mode of operation of the fall-board and its relative position with the parts in immediate proximity thereto.

One of the end boards of the piano casing to which the bearing plate carrying the hinge is secured is shown at B. A portion of the player action is diagrammatically illustrated at P. The fall-board consists of a rear portion 2, conforming in shape to the Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Apr. 27, 1915.

Serial No. 853,639.

configuration of the end wall of the piano casing, and a front fall 1 hinged thereto in the manner usual to folding fall-boards of this class. As seen in F ig. 1, when the fallboard is in its advanced position over the keys K, the rear member 2 rests with its under surface on the transverse guide bar 5, which extends across the piano and may, as in this instance, be the name board. In this position the front fall extends out over the ends of the keys with its lower front edge resting on the front rail 4 of the piano. To open the piano the front fall 1 is swung upwardly about its hinged pivot until it is folded back on the rear member 2, small rubber buttons 2 being provided as stops for the former to rest upon. The two members are then slid rearwardly in a horizontal plane until they assume the position shown in Fig. 2. In order to permit of this movement and to properly guide the parts as they swing into their retracted position, two specially designed metal hinges are provided one at each end of the piano and are suitably connected with each other, with the end boards of the piano casing and with the ends of the rear member 2 of the fall board respectively, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The main hinge member comprises a metal plate having three integral arms, two of which 6 and 6 extend throughout their length in substantially the same vertical plane and form with each other a right angle. The third arm extends for a short distance in the same vertical plane with the first two and at a point opposite the angle of their intersection; it is then bent at right angles to form the extension 6 A supporting plate 7 (shown in Fig. 3) is fastened to the upper edge of each end board B of the piano casing so as to lie flush therewith, and is provided with a small perforated arm or projection 7 extending over the inner edge of the casing board. A straight metal plate 9 is rigidly fastened to the end of the rear member 2 of the fallboard, and extends rearwardly in horizontal alinement with the lower edge thereof, being perforated at its free end as at 9*. The longer of the two arms 6 of the main hinge member is bent slightly inward near its up per end to form an ample clearance from the end board of the piano casing. It is perforated at its end, and is pivotally secured to the lug or extension piece 7 of the supporting plate by means of a rivet. The other arm 6 of the hinge is similarly perforated, and is pivotally connected with the free end of the lever 9. A rigid metal bar 10 of L-shape cross section extends across the length of the fall-board, and is permanently fastened at each end to the arms 6- of the hinge plates, thus afi'ording additional strengthening means and at the same time providing for perfect longitudinal alinement of the ends of the board.

It will be seen that by forming the hinge member with two arms extending at right angles to each other and so pivotally connecting their ends that the right angle formed by them will swing forwardly toward the front of the piano, considerable space is economized which can be advantageously used for the player action.

The transverse bar 5 serves as a support and guide for the lower edge of the rear member 2 of the fall-board as it travels backward into its retracted position. A small extension 12 contacts with the upper edge of the bar 5 and acts as a stop to limit the backward movement of the parts.

From the above description the operation of the device will be apparent.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

A fall-board for upright pianos comprising a forward and a rearward member hinged together and adapted to fold one upon the other, a guide bar extending transversely of the piano, a swinging hinge hav- 1 bers as they move into their retracted position.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OTTO HIGEL. WVitnesses RALPH O. HIGEL, D. S. T OVELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

